Author: youkyong

Porvoo(Finland): a Day Trip

~ youkyong

June 2019    [by Bill]

porvoo5

This morning I caught a morning bus from Helsinki to the picturesque old town of Porvoo, just 32 miles east. The bus ($1 – $16) departs every 10-minutes in both directions, which allows maximum flexibility in planning.

Porvoo is known as an authentic Norwegian historical town, one of 6 medieval towns in Finland, dating back to the 1,400’s.
Lots of old wooden buildings, cobblestone streets, nice, relaxed atmosphere all over. The streets are lined with local artisans, with little shops showcasing their works. Surrounding the old town area is a more modern part of town.
There’s a nice canal dividing the town, lined with small boats, a very nice walking promenade, with a number of bridges to drive or walk across to each side.
The weather today was ideal, mid 70’s, sunny, and a nice breeze. It felt much hotter.

Iceland: Whale Watching

~ youkyong

July 2019   [by Bill]

I took a 3-hour whale watching cruise($80-90) in the early afternoon – lots of clouds overhead. When you take any type of bay or ocean cruise, there’s no guarantee that you’ll spot what the cruise tour operator is touting, but today there were a number of Minke whales. They don’t stay on the surface very long, so you have to really be ready to snap a photo in the hopes of actually catching one in your photos. I got 4 different photos of Minke whales (you’ll have to enlarge each photo to see them).

Drøbak(Denmark): a Day Trip

~ youkyong

June 2019  [by Bill]

drovak4

Based on a recommendation from a person I met in a local restaurant, I took a 50-minute bus ride($11-14) from Oslo to Drøbak, which I was told is known for its ornate Norwegian township. There is a ferry($11-16) from Oslo to this town as well, and that takes 79 minutes. It was chilly out today, low 60’s, overcast, windy, pretty much just the opposite of the last few days in Oslo.

drovak1

After I got off at the last bus stop in Drøbak, it’s really just a bus depot near the highway, with no directional signs or people for that matter, I walked about a mile to get to the harbor area using my GPS map program, which included an amazingly steep concrete walkway (1/4 mile long). The walk back up was a very slow grind, as I was taking half steps, and didn’t feel like I was making a lot of progress.
Once I got to the center of the town, there’s a small harbor area, which includes a waterside trail, which was nice. One of the area attractions is a picturesque small island just 15-minutes in the bay area. The water shuttle wasn’t running today from Drøbak, and there’s no other options to get there, so oh well.
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Overall, not much happening in Drøbak. It’s all part of adventure traveling, as sometimes you just gotta go with the flow, even when your expectations are high, but the reality didn’t live up to it.